This invention relates generally to safety apparatus and more particularly to a belt apparatus arranged to be worn by a person and which performs various functions, namely, to prevent the person from falling from an elevated position, to suspend the person in a manner enable the person to perform some activity while so suspended and without interference by the apparatus, and to enable the person to readily connect himself/herself to repelling means to repel to a lower elevation.
As a result of the enactment of various safety laws persons working at elevated height positions, e.g., window washers, telephone lineman, etc., are required to be protected against falls. One common approach to achieve that end is the use of a safety belt which is worn on the worker's waist. The belt is arranged to be worn about the waist of the workman and includes a D-ring or some other metal loop fixedly mounted on the belt in the center of the portion located at the worker's back. The D-ring is arranged to be "tied off" i.e., connected, via a lanyard or some other means, to a supporting member, e.g., a portion of a building or other static structure, a rope grab device mounted on a safety line, etc. Thus, once the worker is tied off should he/she fall off of the platform, scaffolding, or other support on which he/she is working or if that platform etc. itself drops or otherwise falls away, the worker will be prevented from falling to the ground.
While such safety belts are generally suitable for their intended purposes they are not designed to act as a primary means for suspending the person at an elevated position to enable him/her to perform some activity while so suspended. In fact such safety belts are generally incapable of such use since they tend to inhibit the person's mobility, thus interfering with the worker's ability to function efficiently when he/she is tied off. Accordingly, so-called "positioning belts" were developed for applications wherein worker is to be suspended by the belt and where some mobility is necessary, e.g., for performing electrical, carpentry, etc., work on a construction project. As is known a "positioning belt" typically comprises an assembly of two "belts", with one "belt" located within the other. In particular such belts comprise a main belt which is arranged to be worn about the waist of the worker and which includes means, e.g., a pair of D-rings which may be adjustible, mounted on the assembly adjacent each hip, for connection to some fixed support structure for suspending the worker or to some "tie-off" means, e.g., a lanyard and associated rope grab for protecting the worker from falling. Located within the main belt is a second "belt". This second belt is actually an elongated, strap-like, member having a pair of ends which are fixedly secured to the main belt adjacent each hip, and is normally stowed away between the main belt and the back of the wearer. The second ("positioning") belt is arranged to be pulled out and down from the main belt to form a seat for the worker's buttocks. When so "positioned" the worker is supported in a seat like assembly which enables him/her to work in a comfortable, safe and efficient manner.
While such prior art positioning belts fulfill their intended suspension function without impairing the mobility of the wearer, they too provide less than optimum functionality. In this regard such belts lack safety means, e.g., a D-ring mounted on the rear of the main belt, as mandated by federal law for tie-off (fall protection) purposes, although the D-rings mounted on the assembly adjacent the wearer's hips for suspension purposes may serve as some means to tie the belt off. Moreover, prior art positioning belts, even when configured with hip-located D-rings are not conducive to be readily disconnected from the means to which they are connected to enable the positioning belt to be connected to a lowering or repelling device to enable the worker to readily repel or lower himself/herself to the ground via a safety line.
Examples of lowering or repelling devices are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,220,511 and 3,250,515. Moreover, some such devices are commercially available. One particularly effective device for controlled lowering purposes is the SKY GENIE device sold by Descent Control, Inc. of Fort Smith, Arkansas.
The ability to be tied-off at an elevated position by being connected to a rope grab, or other suitable device, while enabling the ready disconnection therefrom and concomitant connection to a lowering or repelling device is of considerable importance from a safety standpoint and is the subject of my prior inventions. Those inventions are disclosed and/or claimed in my copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. Nos. 07/466,898 and 07/533,610, filed on Jan. 18, 1990 and June 5, 1990, and entitled Fall Prevention and Lowering System and Methods of Use, and Safety Harness, respectively.